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Mounting worries exist regarding the possibility of armed conflict between East African neighbours, Ethiopia and the Eritrean government, as aggressive language has escalated in the last month.

What Has Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for passage to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has provoked a fierce war of words.

The Ethiopian leader previously announced in last year that his government's maritime access was an crucial concern, comments that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Relations between the neighboring nations have regularly been difficult. Following a prolonged struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a extensive Red Sea coastline, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in 1993, rendering it cut off from the sea.

Subsequently, a military clash started in which numerous people lost their lives.

Latest Statements from Ethiopian Government

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief the army commander have publicly asserted control of Eritrean southern port of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the border - and implied the wish to seize it militarily.

In early September, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "blunder" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrea secession would be "addressed in the future".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be restored "by force".

Eritrean Response to the Statements

Amid continuous warnings from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been limited to short statements on online platforms from Information Minister the minister.

He has rejected Ethiopian requests for maritime entry calling it "hazardous" and a "negative policy" of "territorial claims" – a policy of reclaiming previous domains.

The information ministry alerted on 16 September that efforts to justify "flagrant aggression" would have serious consequences for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Activities on the Ground

Currently, there are little evidence of major military movements in the border areas between the neighboring states.

Nevertheless, in the country, government media has broadcast training completions of thousands of cadets at different defense facilities.

The director of staff section of the armed forces, General Hachalu, stated recently in an conversation that the army was in a "strong stance" as "numerous of young people" were joining it, which he said was "a message to our opponents".

Previous Origins of the Conflict

For decades from 1890, Eritrea was administered by colonial powers.

After World War II, it was then controlled by the British military before becoming a federated part of the Ethiopian empire.

Yet in 1962 the ruler terminated this agreement and the region became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A thirty-year armed struggle followed, finishing with the government's loss in the early 1990s. Independence was then approved by Eritreans in a vote in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the specific demarcation of their shared boundary, resulting in hostilities in 1998.

Although this finished in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations remained at in dispute.

This changed in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrean President President Isaias. The both leaders signed a announcement that the conflict was finished – a decision that won the Prime Minister the Nobel Peace Prize.

The both administrations were then cooperators in the country's recent internal conflict in Tigray.

But diplomatic connections have since broken down anew.